We are witnessing an unprecedented transformation in human relationships as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the most intimate spheres of personal support, companionship, and guidance. AI systems are increasingly functioning as therapists, companions, and coaches, challenging our fundamental understanding of care, empathy, and human connection. But what happens to human psychological wellness when we turn to machines for comfort and love?
Join the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society for The Human Variable: Psychology for the AI Age, a one-day conference convened by Michael Inzlicht that brings together leading researchers from psychology, philosophy, and computer science to examine what the human mind can tell us about AI, and what AI can tell us about the human mind.
Morning sessions will explore how AI is reshaping human relationships, what AI reveals about the nature of human morality, and the ethical and political stakes of AI in public life, followed by an afternoon keynote by David Chalmers, one of the world's foremost philosophers of mind, on whether AI systems can have genuine emotions and inner states.
Join us as we convene experts across disciplines to examine both opportunities and risks of AI in therapy, companionship, and coaching with the goal of producing actionable guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and the public.
Schedule
Morning workshop
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Session 1: Relational AI
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Morning break
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Session 2: Morality and AI
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Session 3: Politics, Ethics and Death
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Afternoon break
Afternoon keynote
3:30 – 5:00 PM: Keynote with David Chalmers
Venue
Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, East Winter Gardens
University of Toronto
108 College Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6
All sessions will take place exclusively in person.
Speakers
Paul Bloom, professor, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Daryl Cameron, associate professor, Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
David Chalmers (keynote), University Professor, Department of Philosophy, New York University; co-director, Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness
Myra Cheng, PhD candidate, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University
Morteza Deghani, director, Center for Computational Language Sciences, University of Southern California
Danica J. Dillion, postdoctoral researcher, Complexity Science Hub and Deepest Beliefs Lab, Ohio State University
Victória Oldemburgo de Mello, PhD candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Gord Pennycook, associate professor, Department of Psychology, Cornell University
Joshua (Gus) Skorburg, associate professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Guelph
Karina Vold, associate professor, Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, University of Toronto; research lead, Schwartz Reisman Institute
Co-organizers
Michael Inzlicht, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
Anat Perry, Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Event Partners
Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough
Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto
About the Schwartz Reisman Institute
Located at the University of Toronto, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s mission is to deepen our knowledge of technologies, societies, and what it means to be human by integrating research across traditional boundaries and building human-centred solutions that really make a difference. The integrative research we conduct rethinks technology’s role in society, the contemporary needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them. We’re investigating how best to align technology with human values and deploy it accordingly. The human-centred solutions we build are actionable and practical, highlighting the potential of emerging technologies to serve the public good while protecting citizens and societies from their misuse. We want to make sure powerful technologies truly make the world a better place—for everyone.